Emissions from electricity may have already peaked as wind and solar take over

Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions linked to electricity generation may have peaked in 2022 and will begin to decline as wind and solar power take over from fossil fuels. The pace of the reduction of CO2 emissions’ stemming from the power sector is critical toward limiting global warming and preventing more damage from climate change. According to researchers at climate think-tank Ember, emissions will begin to drop slightly this year, and will get bigger every year as wind and solar grow further.
/by

Morocco’s OCP borrows $110m to build four solar plants

Morocco’s State-owned phosphates and fertiliser producer OCP said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s investment arm, on a €100-million ($110-million) loan to build four solar plants to power its industrial operations. The loan is part of an OCP investment plan worth 130-billion dirhams ($12.8-billion) to increase fertiliser production using renewable energy by 2027.
/by

Ramaphosa to announce new investment target amid confidence-sapping electricity and freight crises

President Cyril Ramaphosa will outline what actions South Africa is taking to tackle its economically debilitating electricity crisis when he addresses investors at the fifth South African Investment Conference on Thursday, Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has confirmed. The event will take place amid an intense period of rotational power cuts, with Eskom having declared Stage 5 and 6 loadshedding for Wednesday and Thursday, as well as serious disruptions to the supply of electricity to residents and businesses in parts of Pretoria, including car manufacturer Ford, following the catastrophic collapse of seven power pylons on Sunday night, possibly precipitated by the vandalism of a pylon along the N4 East freeway.
/by

Loadshedding bumped to Stage 6

Stage 6 loadshedding will be rolled out from 16:00, Eskom said on Wednesday afternoon. It will continue until 05:00 on Thursday, when Stage 5 will kick in until 16:00 on Thursday. The pattern will be repeated daily until further notice.
/by

Loadshedding bumped to Stage 6 until further notice

Stage 6 loadshedding will be rolled out from 16:00, Eskom said on Wednesday afternoon. This follows after an update in the morning which stated that loadshedding would be escalated to Stage 5 due to higher than anticipated demand.
/by

Bushveld announces further steps to carve out independent energy storage entity

Integrated primary vanadium producer and energy storage solutions provider Bushveld Minerals has announced that VRFB Holdings (VRFB-H) has entered into a conditional agreement with Garnet Commerce and Mustang Energy, pursuant to which VRFB-H has agreed to acquire Garnet’s 50% interest in Enerox Holdings Limited, which wholly owns Enerox, for $33.17-million in cash and shares. This is the latest in a series of transactions aimed at providing Enerox and its CellCube brand access to the capital markets, the ability to achieve a transparent market value and attract energy-focused investors, Bushveld CEO Fortune Mojapelo said on April 12.
/by

South Africa should not shy away from costs of fixing power crisis – Minister

South Africa should not shy away from spending to fix the country’s power crisis, its electricity minister told Reuters, ahead of a cabinet decision later this month on his proposals to end the worst power blackouts on record. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, appointed last month to the newly created role, was speaking in an interview less than two months after the National Treasury granted state utility Eskom R254-billion of debt relief over the next three years.
/by

South Africa’s new grid company could be operational by mid-year if licence and lender …

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has hosted public hearings into an application by the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTC) for the three licences it requires to begin operating as an independent subsidiary of Eskom Holdings, in line with the unbundling “journey” first outlined by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) in 2019. The vertical separation of the grid company from Eskom is seen as a crucial step for levelling the playing field between Eskom Generation and independent power producers (IPPs), as well as for ensuring that sufficient transmission assets are funded and built to facilitate new generation investment.
/by

OPEC Fund financing clean cooking energy transition in Madagascar

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have signed an agreement to provide a $1.5-million in grant funding for technical assistance support for Madagascar’s National Clean Cooking Transition Programme. The two agencies also signed a declaration to reinforce their partnership in promoting the energy transition and securing access to energy. “We are very pleased to expand our cooperation with UNIDO and to support our flagship clean cooking programme in Madagascar with UNIDO’s vast technical and advisory expertise, which is critical for effective implementation,” enthused OPEC Fund director-general Dr Abdulhamid Alkhalifa.
/by

GIBS to host a Renewable Energy Dialogue on April 20

The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) will host a Renewable Energy Dialogue to discuss key issues critical to supporting the efforts to end loadshedding in South Africa on its campus in Illovo, Johannesburg, on April 20. The dialogue will focus on unpacking the executive decision, analytics and strategy consultancy Meridian Economics’ report on ‘Resolving the Power Crisis: Insights from 2022’ and unpack the report on resolving the power crisis by adding more renewable energy into the Eskom power grid.
/by